Former TYPE O NEGATIVE Drummer SAL ABRUSCATO Pays Tribute To PETER STEELE

April 16, 2010

Ex-TYPE O NEGATIVE and current LIFE OF AGONY drummer Sal Abruscato has released the following statement regarding the passing of his former TYPE O NEGATIVE bandmate, Peter Steele:

"There are not many words that can describe how you affected my life Peter. From the times of hanging in your basement as a kid, the first meetings we had about TYPE O NEGATIVE, to getting chased all over Europe by radical left wing groups with bomb threats and eventually creating one of the most influential albums of all time.

"You affected me and influenced me as an artist and as a person, you were one of the funniest and most generous friends I ever knew. It is an honor to have been there with you through the rough times we call the beginning and now the end. I am the musician I am today because of you and I thank you with all my heart my friend.

"I will miss you and I love you.

"This is truly the end of an era."

Steele passed away on Wednesday (April 14) at the age of 48. No official cause of death has yet been released, but it is believed that Steele died of heart failure.

According to unconfirmed reports, Steele had been ill for days leading up to his death.

Steele was born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. He stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

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